The spirit of Dixieland (4)
I believe the answer is:
elan
'the spirit' is the definition.
(elan is a kind of spirit)
'of dixieland' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'ELAN' is hidden in the letters of 'dixieland'.
(Other definitions for elan that I've seen before include "'Panache, flair (4)'" , "Impetuosity - style" , "Dash, style" , "Flamboyance" , "Dash in Paris" .)